The South African-born actress - who moved to the US in the early 1990s - has opened up to leading man Michael B. Jordan about how the Marvel movie made an impact on her emotionally as she recalled her experiences growing up ''under tremendously dark circumstances'' during apartheid.

Speaking to the film's star in a conversation for Variety, she broke down crying as she explained: ''I was 15 in '91 when apartheid was dropped. So I didn't realise until, I think in my late 20s, 30s, how much anger I had inside me and guilt for just living my life circumstantially in a place that I didn't necessarily choose.

''It was the thing that took me toward therapy. So for me to watch 'Black Panther' as the person that I am, and I know this sounds crazy to a lot of people, but it was a very emotional thing.

''I have two young girls -- two young, beautiful African-American girls. I said to myself, 'I cannot wait for my girls to be big enough to share this with them.' ''

The 43-year-old star also praised the inclusiveness of the film and how it manages to go beyond being a typical ''popcorn flick''.

She added: '''Black Panther' should definitely be nominated for the Oscars. That is a huge change. Twenty years ago, when you made a big action film, it was like you were selling out.''

Jordan agreed with the sentiment, and added that the skills of filmmaker Ryan Coogler - who wrote and directed the movie - took the project to a different level.

He said: ''When you hand somebody like Ryan Coogler a project like 'Black Panther', it plays into the Marvel Universe of it all, but it still feels like it's a project that could have gone to Sundance.''